In my 15 years as a general manager, I was always asked going into a season what my No. 1 concern was. To answer, I almost always went to talking about my concerns about our players’ health or the state of the team’s starting rotation. So when I turned the tables and communicated with all 30 major league teams and got every general manager to comment on what they felt were their No. 1 concerns, I expected many of their answers. But going beyond those concerns and leaning on conversations and evaluations from my spring training tour, we can also get into each team’s biggest short- and long-term concerns to keep this question framed in the way that general managers see it.
American League
Dan Duquette’s opinion: “Starting pitching.”
Short-term concern: Starting pitching.
Long-term concern: Extending the contract of Manny Machado
The Orioles’ chances of making the postseason come down to their rotation. Opening Day starter Kevin Gausman is positioned to have his breakout year, and Dylan Bundy has the talent to do so, too. But there are serious health questions about Chris Tillman’s right shoulder, and the inconsistency of both Ubaldo Jimenez and Wade Miley makes this unit the team’s biggest concern.
The even bigger deal is that Manny Machado is just two years away from free agency. The Orioles must find a way to extend him at some point between now and the winter meetings in December.
Dave Dombrowski’s opinion: “Staying relatively healthy.”
Short-term concern: David Price’s elbow and Tyler Thornburg’s shoulder.
Long-term concern: First-base production.
The Red Sox have the best team on paper in the AL East, but the pitching staff has to stay healthy if they’re going to fulfill those expectations. Price and Thornburg, keys to their staff's success, will start the year on the disabled list. Price is dealing with an ailing elbow, an injury the Red Sox and Price have not been fully transparent about, while Thornburg has dealt with both shoulder and back issues for most of the spring. The Sox need them healthy by May to hold off the rest of the division.
Long-term, the Red Sox need to be concerned with first base. Mitch Moreland is signed to a one-year deal, Hanley Ramirez has already been moved to designated hitter most of the time and rookie Sam Travis is struggling with breaking balls and defense. Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer could be a free-agent fix next winter or a trade target later in the summer.
Rick Hahn's opinion: “Health.”
Short-term concern: Keeping veterans on the trade block healthy.
Long-term concern: Adding talent at the infield and outfield corners.
The White Sox did an incredible job in the offseason as they began their rebuilding program in earnest, but Hahn's concern is legit -- Carlos Rodon's injury is as an example of what they want avoid, because how their young players develop is critical to the success of their long-term plan. Next, the White Sox need to concentrate on getting impact hitters at the corners in their next wave of trades. To do this, they have to hope that veterans such as Jose Quintana, Todd Frazier, Melky Cabrera, Dave Robertson, Nate Jones and maybe even Jose Abreu can stay healthy up to the trade deadline so they can maximize their trade returns.
Chris Antonetti’s opinion: “Getting Jason Kipnis back healthy and Michael Brantley staying at or near 100 percent.”
Short-term concern: Carlos Carrasco’s elbow.
Long-term concern: Keeping the team together.
The Indians are the most improved team in baseball. Edwin Encarnacion should be a difference-maker, and it looks like Michael Brantley, Danny Salazar and Yan Gomes are all healthy and ready to perform at their accustomed levels. My biggest short-term concern for the Indians is with starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco after his 10.80 ERA this spring combined with word that his elbow was swelling up regularly. In the meantime, this is the best team in the league on paper.
Al Avila’s opinion: “The bullpen in general.”
Short-term concern: The bullpen and Jordan Zimmermann.
Long-term concern: An aging team.
The Tigers’ single biggest concern is definitely their bullpen. Closer Francisco Rodriguez and set-up relievers Bruce Rondon, Justin Wilson and Alex Wilson all had rough springs. But the Tigers also need to be concerned with Jordan Zimmermann after his bad spring on top of going 9-7 with a 4.87 ERA last year, his first season after signing a five-year, $110 million deal. They’re an aging team with a weak farm system; if they don’t start trading some of their veterans at this year’s deadline, they could find themselves in real trouble one or two years from now.
Jeff Luhnow’s opinion: “The health of our rotation.”
Short-term concern: The playing time spread between the outfield, catcher and DH.
Long-term concern: Rotation strength.
Everyone’s concerned with the health of their rotation, but the Astros are also thrilled with how their spring worked out. Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers appeared healthy and showed they can perform close to their accustomed levels. Newly acquired Charlie Morton was the talk of the camp with his 97 mph fastball. Joe Musgrove looks like he might be the next Kyle Hendricks with his four-pitch mix, late movement, poise and competitiveness. The rotation looked so good that the Astros have put on hold trying to trade for another starter, at least for the time being. Long-term, the Astros do need to add to the top of their rotation; I expect them to do so by the trade deadline.
My short-term concern is how the Astros will align their outfield on a daily basis. Their best defensive outfield is George Springer in right, Jake Marisnick in center and Josh Reddick in left. However, they need to fit Nori Aoki in because of his ability to get on base, while Reddick is much better against right-handers and prefers to play right. The other issue is at catcher, where Brian McCann will face most right-handers and Evan Gattis, lefties. However, they want to get Gattis more at-bats at DH; to do that means Carlos Beltran will need to play in the outfield corners. It adds up to quite a challenge for manager A.J. Hinch.
Dayton Moore’s opinion: “Just need to stay healthy, let them play for 30, 40 games and then make an evaluation.”
Short-term concern: Starting pitching.
Long-term concern: Trading their impending free agents by the deadline.
The Royals were able to sign Danny Duffy, their best starter, to a long-term contract and I have no doubt he will live up to it. The real concern is the rest of their rotation, which is filled with Nos. 4 and 5 starters. The Royals also still have several impending free agents: Eric Hosmer, Michael Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar. If they don’t look like a playoff team by June, you can expect they’ll start taking trade offers for all of them.
Billy Eppler’s opinion: “Health of the starting rotation.”
Short- and long-term concern: Starting pitching, period.
The Angels should have one of the best defensive teams in the league, and they have the game’s best player in Mike Trout. But for them to compete, it’s all about their rotation. Ace Garrett Richards has a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament and opted for a stem cell injection over surgery. The Angels will put a 100-pitch limit and 200-inning ceiling on him, but only time will tell if the elbow holds up. Ricky Nolasco, Matt Shoemaker and Jesse Chavez will provide competitive innings while lefty Tyler Skaggs clearly has the highest ceiling behind Richards. How good this rotation is will determine how far the Halos go.
Derek Falvey’s opinion: “It’s always pitching. The growth of young guys and the health of the veterans.”
Short- and long-term concern: Starting pitching.
The Twins are not going to be competitive until they build a strong starting rotation. They will use every resource to get that done. At the trade deadline, they’ll hope that veterans such as Ervin Santana, Brian Dozier and Phil Hughes have strong enough first halves to build up their trade value so that they can make some impactful long-term trades.
Brian Cashman’s opinion: “Starting pitching.”
Long- and short-term concern: Starting pitching.
The Yankees are trying to rebuild through the farm system, but to get back to a championship-caliber team, they need to improve the rotation. Masahiro Tanaka looked like an ace in spring training, but he has an opt-out clause at season’s end. Michael Pineda remains an inconsistent enigma, CC Sabathia is a year older, while everyone is waiting to see if Luis Severino finally develops this year. The Yankees will be a surprise team only if the rotation overachieves or Cashman can come up with a prospect package to pry Jose Quintana away from the White Sox while they wait for their top pitching prospects such as James Kaprielian and left-hander Justus Sheffield (acquired in the Andrew Miller trade from Cleveland) to break through.
Billy Beane’s opinion: “Lots of them! But team defense.”
Short-term concern: Sonny Gray getting healthy.
Long-term concern: Finally resolving their stadium situation in Oakland.
Beane has always been straightforward. He’s that way when he’s won divisions and he’s that way now as he rebuilds again. “Lots of them!” is certainly accurate, with team defense being the weakest part of the team. Their biggest short-term concern for me is not only getting Gray healthy, but getting him back to being an ace so they have a huge trade chip at this year’s deadline. But with the Oakland Raiders' announcement that they are eventually moving to Las Vegas, it now looks like the A’s will finally get the new stadium they deserve.
Jerry Dipoto’s opinion: “Back of the rotation.”
Short-term concern: The back of the rotation.
Long-term concern: Replenishing the farm system.
Veteran starters Hisashi Iwakuma and Yovani Gallardo have had rough springs and newly acquired Drew Smyly will be out for at least six to eight weeks with a shoulder injury. Although the M’s do have better depth than a year ago, it’s unfortunate they have to tap into it as early as Opening Day. The Mariners have used their farm system to make trades to help the big league club the past couple of years and will need to find ways to replenish it through the draft, international signings and maybe even trades at the deadline if the team doesn’t live up to expectations.
Erik Neander’s opinion: “Matt Duffy, Colby Rasmus and Wilson Ramos getting healthy.”
Short-term concern: Turning power bats into hitters with power.
Long-term concern: Finding a stadium site in Tampa/St. Petersburg.
There is no doubt that the Rays will have a much better chance of competing if Duffy, Rasmus and Ramos get healthy. However, I’m concerned they don’t have enough hitters who can hit good pitching and pitches. Last year, they were fourth in the league in home runs and next to last in runs scored. They need Corey Dickerson, Steven Souza and Brad Miller to improve overall as hitters or the front office will have to consider trading for help.
Jon Daniels’ opinion: “Depth.”
Short- and long-term concerns: Depth, especially at starting pitching.
The team has a lot of versatility that can cover short-term issues when they come up, but what the Rangers don’t have is a lot of depth, either on the pitching staff or among position players if they have multiple injuries. The emergence of Delino DeShields Jr. during spring training allows the trio of Jurickson Profar, Joey Gallo and Ryan Rua to provide a first wave of position player depth. If Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner ever get healthy and pitch close to their accustomed levels, they, too, could solve some of the immediate depth problems.
The Rangers’ system isn’t as deep as it used to be, which could cause issues at the trade deadline. The starting pitching is their biggest long-term concern -- Yu Darvish can opt out at season’s end and Cole Hamels will be another year older. Signing Darvish to an extension is a must if the Rangers think he can stay healthy.
Mark Shapiro’s opinion: “Starting pitching depth is our biggest concern. ... The drop-off from our top five starters to our sixth starter is a big one. And we have a gap in our high-ceiling prospects in starting pitching in Triple-A.”
Short- and long-term concern: Power bats to rebuild the middle of their lineup.
Like every executive, Shapiro should always be concerned about his starting pitching depth. At the same time, the Jays' starting pitchers Nos. 1-5 form one of the strongest and deepest groups in the league and should get them back to the postseason if they can stay healthy. But their offense at traditional power positions is also cause for worry: First baseman Justin Smoak is a lifetime .223 hitter and delivered just 14 home runs last year. Left field isn’t much better, with Ezequiel Carrera and Steven Pearce (who will play at first base, too) expected to share the position. With Edwin Encarnacion gone and Jose Bautista and Kendrys Morales both aging, it’s important that the Jays acquire and develop middle-of-the-order bats for the future.
National League
Mike Hazen’s opinion: “Bullpen.”
Short-term concern: Bullpen.
Long-term concern: Zack Greinke’s contract.
The bullpen is a legitimate concern, but Fernando Rodney and his bow and arrow will get first shot at closing. The sleeper is former first-round pick Archie Bradley, who is throwing 97 mph right now. But Greinke is the team's biggest long-term concern after a subpar year last season and with his velocity way down this spring as he enters Year 2 of a six-year, $206.5 million contract.
John Coppolella’s opinion: “The bench needs improvement.”
Short-term concern: The back of their starting rotation.
Long term concern: Middle-of-the-order power bats; catching.
Coppolella will try to improve that bench throughout the season, but I’m a little concerned about how poorly both of their 40-year-old pitchers, Bartolo Colon and R.A. Dickey, looked this spring. They’re placeholders for prospects on the way, and the Braves need both to pitch well so that they can trade them at the deadline for more prospects. The Braves are good enough to finish as high as third this year, but long-term they must put some focus on acquiring middle-of-the-order power bats, as well as an impact catcher.
Theo Epstein’s opinion: “Starting pitching health.”
Short-term concern: Wade Davis.
Long-term concern: Re-signing Jake Arrieta.
For me, the Cubs’ biggest concern to start the season is at closer, where Wade Davis had an inflated 14.40 ERA in spring training, but the Cubs have plenty of backup options between Hector Rondon, Carl Edwards Jr. and Pedro Strop. The biggest long-term concern is Arrieta’s contract status -- he’s a free agent at the end of the season. They’ve been talking about a long-term deal for quite some time but are far apart on years and dollars. But if the starting pitching stays healthy, the Cubs should run away with the division.
Dick Williams’ opinion: “Running out young pitchers with limited service time.”
Short-term concern: Starting pitching.
Long-term concern: The farm system not being strong enough to rebuild with.
Having to start so many young pitchers with limited service time is a concern for wins and losses in the short term, but in the long run it will be an advantage to be able to develop these pitchers at the major league level if the Reds can hit on a few of them, such as Brandon Finnegan or Rookie Davis. The Reds need to continue to rebuild their farm system; a strong draft and a few more veteran-for-prospects exchanges are a necessity this summer.
Jeff Bridich’s opinion: “Health.”
Short-term concern: The back end of their starting rotation.
Long-term concern: Carlos Gonzalez’s contract status.
On paper, the Rockies have the offense and defense to get to the postseason, but their biggest immediate concern is their starting rotation. The rotation is still strong up top with ace Jon Gray and Tyler Chatwood, but after that, there are more questions than answers, with Chad Bettis recovering from chemotherapy for testicular cancer, while prospects Jeff Hoffman and German Marquez had disappointing springs. And with Carlos Gonzalez a free agent at season’s end, the Rockies need to find a way to either extend his contract or consider trading him at the deadline -- even if they are in contention.
Andrew Friedman’s opinion: “Bullpen.”
Short-term concern: Yasiel Puig.
Long-term concern: Left field.
Every year since Andrew Friedman joined the Dodgers, I’ve asked him his team’s biggest concern heading into the season and every year I get the same response: “Bullpen.” But the Dodgers do have a strong bullpen led by closer Kenley Jansen. Moreover, their farm system is so deep that if the bullpen really is a problem, they have plenty of possible solutions to deal for. I think the biggest concern is Yasiel Puig -- he needs to have a breakout season, and will be an important right-handed bat in a lefty-dominated lineup. Even then, they’ll need to find a long-term answer for left field, where they could use a 40-homer bat at that corner.
Mike Hill’s opinion: “Starting pitching, is it good enough?”
Short-term concerns: Top of the starting rotation, lack of team depth.
Long-term concern: Giancarlo Stanton making adjustments and living up to his contract.
The Marlins’ rotation is five strong with Nos. 3 and 4 types, which doesn’t bode well while sharing a division with the Mets and Nationals. The Marlins also don’t have depth in that rotation or in the field. This team will have to stay healthy, and the starting pitching will have to overachieve if they’re going to stay in the race.
In the long term, Giancarlo Stanton is the biggest concern. Can he stay healthy and can he go back to hitting the ball the other way to drive in runs instead of just trying to pull the ball? There is no doubt he’s a 40-homer hitter, but for the $325 million he’s getting paid, they need him to drive in critical runs on a consistent basis like he was doing when he got the contract.
David Stearns’ opinion: “The number of young players who will get extended looks for the first time in their careers.”
Short-term concern: What he said.
Long-term concern: Trading or not trading Ryan Braun
The Brewers have made great progress in a short period of time in their rebuild, but the biggest decision they face is what to do with Ryan Braun. Do they stick with him with hopes that he’ll still be productive when the team is ready to win? Or should they try to trade him at the deadline to maximize their possible return in prospects?
Sandy Alderson’s opinion: “The health of our starters.”
Short-term concern: The health of their starting pitching.
Long-term concern: Center field.
Alderson has said to me, “If our staff is healthy, we can contend. More depth than we have ever had. This is the best club we have started a year with since I have been GM.” That’s coming from a GM who is just one year removed from being in the World Series. Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom both looked like Cy Young candidates in spring training and by the end of spring Matt Harvey was showing that he can get back to being the Dark Knight. But Steven Matz and Seth Lugo will open the year on the DL, so Robert Gsellman and Zack Wheeler will both start. Gsellman was the Mets’ most sought-after player in trade offers and Wheeler is throwing up to 97 mph -- but will pitch with a 100-120-inning limit. But the Mets’ biggest long-term worry is their need for an impact two-way center fielder.
Matt Klentak’s opinion: “Young players developing on all levels.”
Short-term concern: Veteran players having strong first halves.
Long-term concern: The development of their young players.
The Phillies have shown great restraint and patience in their rebuilding process and are probably just one year away from being relevant again. They have to hope that veterans such as Clay Buchholz, Jeremy Hellickson, Jeanmar Gomez, Joaquin Benoit, Howie Kendrick and Michael Saunders can stay healthy and perform to their highest standards in the first half so they can trade many of them for prospects at the trade deadline.
In the meantime, the Phillies should debut a stream of prospects this year, hence the long-term concern that those prospects are developed properly and in a timely manner.
Neal Huntington’s opinion: “Our biggest concern is the youth of our rotation. It is a group that has a high ceiling but lacks major league experience.”
Short-term concern: Jung Ho Kang and the development of their young starters.
Long-term concern: Andrew McCutchen’s contract situation.
The Pirates are dealing with Kang’s legal and visa problems after he was convicted of his third DUI this offseason. He has yet to get his work visa, which is a concern with the season starting and the need for him to get two to three weeks of minor league at-bats before he would be ready to be their everyday third baseman again.
The Pirates’ season clearly depends on the continued development of ace Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Chad Kuhl, Tyler Glasnow and Ivan Nova. This rotation has the potential to pitch them into a wild-card berth, or drop them into third place. Andrew McCutchen’s long-term status is a concern, as well; it doesn’t look as though the Pirates will be signing him with top prospect Austin Meadows on the way, so the Pirates might again consider trading him, either at the trade deadline or at season’s end.
John Mozeliak’s opinion: “Did the offseason moves improve our defense and athleticism enough to accomplish our goals.”
Short-term concern: Adam Wainwright
Long-term concern: Third base.
The Cardinals’ offseason goals were simple: They wanted to improve their defense and athleticism, which they achieved with their moves. My biggest concern is Adam Wainwright, who I think has to have a huge bounce-back season if the Cardinals are going to get back to the postseason. Long-term, finding a third baseman is the biggest question mark for the Cardinals, who might trade for either Todd Frazier of the White Sox or Michael Moustakas of the Royals at the deadline.
A.J. Preller’s opinion: “Starting pitching depth.”
Short-term concern: Starting pitching quality and depth.
Long-term concern: Patience and understanding of their plan.
The Padres are rebuilding in the same mold that the Cubs, Nationals and Astros did -- which means you can expect 100 losses this season and great draft position next summer. Remember, that’s how the Nationals got Bryce Harper, the Cubs got Kris Bryant and the Astros landed Carlos Correa. The biggest major league question in the meantime is a rotation that could be a total disaster, but the Padres have to hope that one or two of their veterans pitch well enough to be traded for prospects. The Padres’ system is loaded at the lower levels, so what they need now is patience and understanding from their fans.
Bobby Evans’ opinion: “Fifth spot in the rotation.”
Short-term concern: Outfield corners.
Long-term concern: Rebuilding the entire outfield.
The Giants' fifth starter competition came down to veteran Matt Cain and rookie Ty Blach, with Cain being initially named to the rotation slot. But they also have a top prospect coming in Tyler Beede, who should eventually solve that problem in the summer. My own concern is with the outfield corners, where Hunter Pence had a poor spring in right field and Jarrett Parker and Chris Marrero will start the year platooning in left. In the long term, the Giants will have to think about completely turning over their outfield.
Mike Rizzo’s opinion: “Health. We stay healthy, we’re as good as anybody.”
Short-term concern: Closer.
Long-term concern: Extending the contract of Bryce Harper
Blake Treinen beat out Shawn Kelley and Koda Glover in the three-man competition at closer this spring, but no one knows if Treinen is ready for the role. Until he proves he can handle it, that is the Nationals’ biggest concern to start the season. If the Nationals stay healthy, they’re a World Series-caliber team right now, but one that has to worry about keeping Bryce Harper, who is a free agent after the 2018 season.